Johnstown → Erie
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Johnstown to Erie is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 85.9 to 91.0 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $177/mo.
- +$2,581
- BLS median salary higher in Erie
- 250 to 250
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.6:1 to 13.6:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + $3K higher median salary
Cons of Moving
- - 5% higher cost of living
- - $177/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 85.9 to 91.0, so the same paycheck buys less in Erie (ratio 1.06). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $177/mo ($2,124/yr) from $1,035 in Johnstown to $1,212 in Erie.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (1 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Erie sits #85 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Johnstown is #35/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,581 higher ($57,143 → $59,724). Labor-market size: 42,320 tracked jobs at origin vs 113,330 at destination.
Both metros sit in Pennsylvania: state retirement score 65 (C, #18/51) - tax posture does not change with this move. Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 95
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 72
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Johnstown to see what you'd need to earn in Erie to maintain the same purchasing power.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026